Method and apparatus for playing a chess puzzle

ABSTRACT

A chess puzzle provides a chess-type playing surface which has a plurality of spaces located on it. A fixed playing piece is indicated on one or more of these spaces. A placement mechanism associated with the playing surface allows indicating insertable playing pieces on one or more of a selected group of these spaces. The puzzle is solved by manipulating the placement mechanism to indicate insertable playing pieces on the particular spaces where, combined with the fixed playing pieces, a partially-played chess game is presented which satisfies a predetermined criteria.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is common to provide puzzles or problems that are based on the game of chess. One form of these puzzles is to provide the player with a drawing of a partially completed chess game and a predetermined criteria regarding the game. The player then determines how to satisfy that criteria. One such criteria is that one of the players is to move first and that player can check the opponent with a specific number of moves regardless of what moves the opposing player makes. In this case the object is to determine what these moves are.

While chess puzzles of this type can be extremely complex and difficult to solve, expert chess players are always looking for chess puzzles which present a new or greater challenge.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The subject invention provides a chess puzzle having a chess type playing surface with a plurality of spaces. One or more of these spaces has fixed playing pieces indicated on them. A placement mechanism associated with the playing surfaces allows indicating insertable playing pieces on one or more of a selected group of spaces on the playing surface. The puzzle is played by manipulating the placement mechanism to indicate the insertable playing pieces on the particular spaces within that group of spaces where along with the fixed playing pieces a partially completed chess game is created which satisfies a predetermined criteria.

The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a chessboard embodying the subject invention.

FIG. 2 is the reverse side of the chessboard of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a chessboard showing another embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are perspective views of chessboards showing additional embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a chessboard on a Rubik's cube embodying the subject invention.

FIG. 8 is a chessboard on a computer monitor embodying the subject invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings, a chess puzzle includes a chess-type playing surface 12 having a plurality of spaces 14 arranged in a rectilinear fashion. The playing surface normally would be a flat board 13 having 8 rows and 8 perpendicular columns as shown in FIG. 1, but it could have other shapes, such as the Rubik's cube arrangement shown in FIG. 7.

The playing surface has a fixed playing piece 16 indicated on one or more of the spaces 14 and typically there would be multiple fixed playing pieces indicated on multiple spaces. With a flat board the fixed playing pieces could be printed on the board itself as shown in FIG. 1.

The puzzle also has a placement mechanism 18 which allows indicating insertable playing pieces 20 on one or more of a selected group of spaces 14. As will be more fully explained later, the purpose of the puzzle is for the player to manipulate the placement mechanism to place the insertable playing pieces 20 on the particular spaces 14 that in combination with the fixed playing pieces 16 creates a partially completed chess game that satisfies a predetermined criteria.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the playing surface is on a flat board 13. In this embodiment the placement mechanism is a slider 22 which translates beneath the playing surface 12 along either a row or a column. Typically there would be multiple sliders and each slider would have multiple insertable playing pieces indicated on it. In each row that has a slider 22 there are selected open spaces 24 which expose the slider. The insertable playing pieces 20 are located on the slider 22 and the open spaces 24 are located on the playing surface such that different combinations of insertable playing pieces 20 can be viewed through the open spaces.

If more complexity is desired a second playing surface 26 can be placed on the back of the board, FIG. 2. The playing surface 26 has spaces 28 which are aligned with the spaces 14 and has open spaces 30 which may or may not be aligned with the open spaces 24. In this embodiment the sliders 22 have insertable playing pieces 20 on both sides and the fixed playing pieces, insertable playing pieces and open spaces are arranged such that the sliders can be manipulated to create partially completed chess games on each side of the board which satisfy the same or a different criteria.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 3 the placement mechanisms are one or more wheels 32 which are rotatably mounted on the boards 13. The wheels 32 are located below the board and have insertable playing pieces 34 on them. The insertable playing pieces 34 are visible through open spaces 36 on the board, depending on how the wheels are manipulated.

Referring to FIG. 4, in another embodiment the placement mechanisms are blanks 40 which are mounted rotatably in open spaces 41 on the playing surface, and different insertable playing pieces 42 are indicated on each side of each blank.

In another embodiment shown on FIG. 5, the placement mechanisms 34 are flaps 44 which are attached to the board on a hinge so that they cover either an open space 46 or an adjacent space 48. Insertable playing pieces 50 can be indicated on one or both sides of the flaps.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the placement mechanisms are sliders 54 which are moveable between adjacent spaces. The sliders have insertable playing pieces 56 indicated on them which can be located on one of the two spaces the sliders can be moved to.

In another embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, the playing surface is the sides of an 8 layered Rubik's cube 58 which has playing pieces 60 located on some of its elements such that partially completed chess games which satisfy a predetermined criteria can be indicated on one or all six sides.

In another embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, the playing surface 62 is displayed on an electronic display 63 and the placement mechanism is a computer, shown schematically at 64.

In each embodiment the puzzle is played by manipulating the placement mechanisms to where the insertable playing pieces are located in the particular open spaces where a partially completed chess game is presented that can be played to completion according to a particular criteria. In the embodiment presented in FIG. 1, for example, the criteria is that white moves next and can check mate black in two moves no matter how the black pieces are moved. Other criteria may be to locate and identify an invisible playing piece, to identify which of the pieces in the 8^(th) rank was just promoted, to identify the only playing piece that can be inserted into the game, to determine which color plays next, or to determine which side just made an illegal move.

The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow. 

1. A method of playing a chess puzzle, comprising: (a) providing a chess-type playing surface having a plurality of spaces, said playing surface having fixed playing pieces indicated on one or more of said spaces; (b) providing at least one placement mechanism, each of said placement mechanisms allowing indicating insertable playing pieces on one or more of a selected group of said spaces; and (c) manipulating said placement mechanisms to indicate said insertable playing pieces on particular spaces in said selected group of spaces such that said fixed playing pieces and said insertable playing pieces together present a particular partially-completed chess game which satisfies a predetermined criteria.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein manipulation of one of said placement mechanisms causes multiple insertable playing pieces to simultaneously be indicated on said playing surface.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein said spaces are arranged in rows and columns and each of said placement mechanisms allows indicating insertable playing pieces at multiple spaces in a selected row.
 4. The method of claim 2 wherein said spaces are arranged in rows and columns and each of said placement mechanisms allows indicating insertable playing pieces at multiple spaces in a selected column.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein there are more than one placement mechanism and multiple placement mechanisms need to be manipulated to present the particular, partially-completed chess game which satisfies said predetermined criteria.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein said playing surface is an electronic display and said placement mechanism is a computer.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein said predetermined criteria is that the chess game can be played to completion in a specific number of moves.
 8. A chess puzzle comprising: (a) a chess-type playing surface having a plurality of spaces; (b) said playing surface having fixed playing pieces indicated on one or more of said spaces; (c) at least one placement mechanism which allows indicating insertable chess playing pieces on one or more of a selected group of spaces such that said fixed playing pieces and said insertable playing pieces present a particular partially-completed chess game which satisfies a predetermined criteria.
 9. The puzzle of claim 8 wherein said predetermined criteria is that the chess game can be played to completion in a specific number of moves.
 10. The puzzle of claim 8 wherein said placement mechanism carries multiple insertable playing pieces which can be simultaneously indicted on said playing surface.
 11. The puzzle of claim 8 wherein said spaces are arranged in rows and columns and each of said placement mechanisms allows indicating insertable playing pieces at multiple spaces in a selected row.
 12. The puzzle of claim 8 wherein said spaces are arranged in rows and columns and each of said placement mechanisms allows indicating insertable playing pieces at multiple spaces in a selected column.
 13. The puzzle of claim 8 wherein there are more than one placement mechanism and multiple placement mechanisms need to be manipulated to present the particular partially-completed chess game which satisfies said predetermined criteria.
 14. The puzzle of claim 8 wherein: (a) said playing surface is a board and said spaces are arranged in rows and columns on said board; (b) said placement mechanisms are sliders which translate beneath said board along selected ones of said rows, said sliders having at least one of said insertable playing pieces indicated thereon; wherein (c) selected ones of said spaces are open such that the insertable playing pieces indicated on said sliders are visible on said board when said sliders are manipulated to where one of said insertable playing pieces is in alignment with one of said open spaces.
 15. The puzzle of claim 8 wherein: (a) said playing surface is a board and said spaces are arranged in rows and columns on said board; (b) said placement mechanisms are sliders which translate beneath said board along selected ones of said columns, said sliders having at least one insertable piece indicated thereon; wherein (c) selected ones of said spaces are open such that the insertable playing pieces indicated on said slider are visible on said board when said slider is manipulated to where one of said insertable playing pieces is in alignment with one of said open spaces.
 16. The puzzle of claim 11 wherein there are multiple sliders located below multiple rows.
 17. The puzzle of claim 12 where there are multiple sliders located below multiple columns.
 18. The puzzle of claim 14 wherein there is a playing surface on each side of said board, said sliders are located between said sides and have insertable playing pieces indicated on both sides thereof.
 19. The puzzle of claim 8 wherein: (a) said playing surface is a board and said placement mechanisms are wheels which are rotatably mounted on said board, said wheels having multiple insertable placement pieces indicated thereon; and (b) selected ones of said spaces are open such that insertable playing pieces on said wheel are visible on said board when said wheel is rotated to where one of said insertable playing pieces is in alignment with one of said open spaces.
 20. The puzzle of claim 8 wherein said playing surface is a board and said spaces are arranged in rows and columns, and at least one of said spaces is a blank which is rotatable relative to the playing surface and has different insertable playing pieces indicated on each side thereof.
 21. The puzzle of claim 8 wherein said playing surface is a board and said spaces are arranged in rows and columns and at least one of said spaces is a flap which is hinged to said board and has different insertable playing pieces indicated on each side thereof.
 22. The puzzle of claim 8 wherein said playing surface is a board and said spaces are arranged in rows and columns and at least one of said insertable playing pieces is indicated on a slider which can be moved between multiple spaces in a particular row.
 23. The puzzle of claim 8 wherein said playing surface is a board and said spaces are arranged in rows and columns and at least one of said insertable playing pieces is indicated on a slider which can be between multiple spaces in a particular column.
 24. The puzzle of claim 8 wherein said playing surface is on at least one side of a Rubik's cube.
 25. The puzzle of claim 24 wherein one of said playing surface is on all six sides of a Rubik's cube.
 26. The puzzle of claim 8 wherein said playing surface is an electronic display and said placement mechanism is a computer. 